Validation and Implementation of Unmanned Aerial Systems in the Sorghum Breeding Pipeline.

Phenotyping is the primary bottleneck in modern crop improvement programs. In order to meet demands imposed by a constantly rising population as well as a changing global climate, more efficient phenotyping methodologies must be employed by plant breeders. The objectives of this study were to i) attempt to distinguish between genotypes in elite, semi-elite, and exotic sorghum populations using remote sensing, ii) elucidate the overall applicability of unmanned aerial systems to a plant-breeding program by validating it with ground-based phenotypic data, and iii) use temporal height data generated by UAS to create growth curves and discover new potential phenotypes.